How to Calculate Trademark Renewal Grace Periods in Nepal
The renewal timeline worked through with real dates: the 7-year term, the 35-day window, the 6-month grace, the fine — and the calculation method that leaves no ambiguity.
Renewal in Nepal has one date that matters (registration) and two windows that flow from it: 35 days at the normal fee, then six months with a fine. The arithmetic is simple — which is exactly why it is usually done carelessly.
This guide works the calculation properly, with a real date, in both calendars, with the edge cases spelled out.
In short
A Nepalese trademark registration renews every 7 years from the registration date. The renewal is due within 35 days after expiry at NPR 3,500 per class (current practice); a 6-month grace period follows, at NPR 4,500 including the NPR 1,000 fine; beyond grace, cancellation is automatic. The calculation: fix the registration date in BS and AD, add 7 years for expiry, count 35 days for the normal-fee deadline, add 6 calendar months for the grace deadline, adjust for Nepalese public holidays (which extend to the next working day), and diarise internal deadlines at least a week ahead. Early filing before the anniversary is accepted practice and removes the entire calculation.
The four dates, derived from one
Everything derives from the registration date on the certificate — expressed in BS, converted to AD, verified once. The four working dates:
Three precision notes on the method. Count days, not months, for the 35-day window — a calendar-month shortcut loses or gains days. Count calendar months for the grace period — six months from expiry, not 180 days (the results differ). Adjust for holidays: a deadline landing on a Nepalese public holiday or weekend extends to the next working day — which only matters if your calendar knows the Nepalese holidays.
| Event | Rule | Date (worked example) |
|---|---|---|
| Term expiry | Registration + 7 years | 2083/05/12 BS → expiry 12 Bhadra 2090 BS (28 Aug 2027 AD) |
| Normal-fee deadline | Expiry + 35 days | ≈ 2 Oct 2027 AD |
| Grace deadline | Expiry + 6 calendar months | ≈ 28 Feb 2028 AD |
| Cancellation | Grace lapse | 1 Mar 2028 AD — automatic |
The fine, the fee, and the cost curve
The cost of lateness is stepped and small — until it is infinite. On-time renewal: NPR 3,500 per class. Inside grace: NPR 4,500 (the NPR 1,000 fine). After grace: the mark — cancelled automatically, available to anyone, with no revival procedure. The cost curve is the argument for filing early: renewal can be filed before the anniversary (accepted practice), which converts a deadline problem into a calendar entry and removes the fine-risk entirely.
Portfolio owners should also note the per-class arithmetic: a three-class mark renews three times over — three fees, three deadlines, potentially in different years if the classes were filed separately. One calendar, all classes, is the whole discipline.
- On time: NPR 3,500/class; grace: NPR 4,500; after: the mark itself
- Early filing is accepted — the calculation becomes optional
- Per-class renewals: one calendar for the whole portfolio
Legal references
- Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965) — English translation (PDF) — WIPO Lex
- Department of Industry — Industrial Property Section — Government of Nepal
The edge cases
Four situations account for most renewal confusion. BS/AD conversion error — the expiry date transcribed wrong puts every window off by weeks; convert once, verify once, record both. Holiday extension — deadlines extend to the next working day, but relying on the extension is planning to be lucky; the internal deadline exists so the extension is never needed. Grace-period renewal and use — renewal in grace is fully valid; the mark's rights never lapsed during grace, and no gap needs explaining. The lapsed mark's ghost — after cancellation, the mark is not merely unregistered but available: a competitor's new application for it is oppositionable, but the former owner's best defence was always the calendar.
Let the tool do the arithmetic
The Renewal Deadline Calculator encodes the whole method — term anniversary, 35-day window, 6-month grace, holiday adjustment — for any registration date, in both calendars, with the working dates and the fee at each stage. For a portfolio, it turns the renewal calendar from a spreadsheet of anxiety into a list of dates.
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This article is general information, not legal advice.